What's the difference between a Road, Ave, Interstate Etc...

This is a copy paste from reddit

http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2me7l2/eli5_whats_the_difference_between_an_ave_rd_st_ln/

It's not 100% accurate and details varies to your location ( Environment ), but it's very spot on to get the basics doing local work. Read and throw in the pile of tools

• A road has no special qualifiers. It connects point a to point b.
• A street connects buildings together, usually in a city, usually east to west, opposite of avenue.
• An avenue runs north south. Avenues and streets may be used interchangeably for directions, usually has median
• A boulevard is a street with trees down the middle or on both sides
• A lane is a narrow street usually lacking a median.
• A drive is a private, winding road
• A way is a small out of the way road
• a court usually ends in a cul de sac or similar little loop
• a plaza or square is usually a wide open space, but in modern definitons, one of the above probably fits better for a plaza as a road.
• a terrace is a raised flat area around a building. When used for a road it probably better fits one of the above.
• uk, a close is similar to a court, a short road serving a few houses, may have cul de sac
• run is usually located near a stream or other small body of water
• place is similar to a court, or close, usually a short skinny dead end road, with or without cul de sac, sometimes p shaped
• bay is a small road where both ends link to the same connecting road
• crescent is a windy s like shape, or just a crescent shape, for the record, above definition of bay was also given to me for crescent
• a trail is usually in or near a wooded area
• mews is an old british way of saying row of stables, more modernly seperate houses surrounding a courtyard
• a highway is a major public road, usually connecting multiple cities
• a motorway is similar to a highway, with the term more common in New Zealand, the UK, and Austrailia, no stopping, no pedestrian or animal traffic allowed
• an interstate is a highway system connecting usually connecting multiple states, although some exist with no connections
• a turnpike is part of a highway, and usully has a toll, often located close to a city or commercial are
• a freeway is part of a highway with 2 or more lanes on each side, no tolls, sometimes termed expressway, no intersections or cross streets.
• a parkway is a major public road, usually decorated, sometimes part of a highway, has traffic lights.
• a causeway combines roads and bridges, usually to cross a body of water
• circuit and speedway are used interchangeably, usually refers to a racing course, practically probably something above.
• as the name implies, garden is usually a well decorated small road, but probably better fits an above
• a view is usually on a raised area of land, a hill or something similar.
• byway is a minor road, usually a bit out of the way and not following main roads.
• a cove is a narrow road, can be sheltered, usually near a larger body of water or mountains
• a row is a street with a continuous line of close together houses on one or both sides, usually serving a specific function like a frat
• a beltway is a highway surrounding an urban area
• quay is a concrete platform running along water
• crossing is where two roads meet
• alley a narrow path or road between buildings, sometimes connects streets, not always driveable
• point usually dead ends at a hill
• pike usually a toll road
• esplanade long open, level area, usually a walking path near the ocean
• square open area where multiple streets meet, guess how its usually shaped.
• landing usually near a dock or port, historically where boats drop goods.
• walk historically a walking path or sidewalk, probably became a road later in its history
• grove thickly sheltered by trees
• copse a small grove
• driveway almost always private, short, leading to a single residence or a few related ones
• laneway uncommon, usually down a country road, itself a public road leading to multiple private driveways.
• trace beaten path
• circle usually circles around an area, but sometimes is like a "square", an open place intersected by multiple roads.
• channel usually near a water channel, the water itself connecting two larger bodies of water,
• grange historically would have been a farmhouse or collection of houses on a farm, the road probably runs through what used to be a farm
• park originally meaning an enclosed space, came to refer to an enclosed area of nature in a city, usually a well decorated road.
• mill probably near an old flour mill or other mill.
• spur similar to a byway, a smaller road branching off from a major road.
• bypass passes around a populated area to divert traffic
• roundabout or traffic circle circle around a traffic island with multiple connecting routes, a roundabout is usually smaller, with less room for crossing and passing, and safer
• wynd a narrow lane between houses, similar to an alley, more common in UK
• drive shortened form of driveway, not a driveway itself, usually in a neighborhood, connects several houses
• parade wider than average road historically used as a parade ground.
• terrace more common in uk, a row of houses.
• chase on land historically used as private hunting grounds.
• branch divides a road or area into multiple subdivisions.

 

No clue what that means, A city Peddler dude, Haven't looked at a atlas, gps, rand mcnally in many years.


Clarify: CDL school bought my first and only atlas lol

 

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